Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome back to the latest edition of THN.com’s “Top Issues Facing” series. Every team has their own unique topics of discussion that could affect both themselves, as well as the rest of the NHL. This new team-by-team series addresses those issues, and today we turn our focus to the Calgary Flames. (And all financial data in this series comes via THN’s new roster and salary cap site, THN Lineups.)
These are the main questions the Flames are facing entering the 2024-25 regular season.
1. Will the Flames tank for the No. 1 pick?
The short answer to this is “yes, yes they will tank”. Calgary’s stripping down of its roster began in earnest this past season, with veterans Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov all being sent packing for draft picks, younger NHL players and prospects. And this coming year, the worst thing Flames GM Craig Conroy could do would be to try and eke out a wild-card playoff berth in the Pacific Division. Cleaning out albatross contracts isn’t going to be easy – especially when it comes to star winger Jonathan Huberdeau (more on him below) – but the alternative isn’t justifiable either.
What this Calgary team needs more than anything is generational, foundational talent. They’re not going to get that via the trade or free agent markets. The only way you land pieces like that is through the top end of the NHL draft. And the only way you get picks at the top end of the draft is by taking the hits and coping with the fallout for at least a few long years. Conroy is fully aware of this fact, and Flames ownership will support his plan for long-term growth.
"It's been a whirlwind for the past two months."
Zayne Parekh, selected 9th overall in this year's #NHLDraft, talks to the media at development camp. pic.twitter.com/KMTVHuiHqy
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) July 4, 2024
It’s going to be painful, and it could get mighty ugly, but it’s the road most proven to make a difference in the long haul. All Flames fans have to do is look at the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks to see how you tank properly. It’s doable for Calgary, but there has to be a definite move to that end. And that process will be ramped up this year, for better and for worse.
2. Can Nazem Kadri be a true No. 1 center?
Don’t get us wrong – we like what Kadri brings to the table. He’s a ferocious competitor and a top-six fixture on any team. But calling him a No. 1 center would be taking it too far. He’s not a generational talent, and he’s not someone who’s going to lead the league in point production. He can give you snot, he can give you fearlessness and he can play in the hard areas of the ice, but he’s no superstar.
For that reason, trading Kadri isn’t going to bring back a massive return of picks and prospects. But clearing out Kadri’s $7-million per season contract (that runs for five more years) will send a message that this team is truly in transition. He can be an above-average second-line center on a Stanley Cup playoff front-runner, but his current fit in Calgary just isn’t working anymore. He’s got a full no-movement clause in the next two seasons, but we’re assuming he’d welcome a trade to the right market.
It’s about winning for the 33-year-old, and that’s not going to happen with the Flames. Kadri is great at what he does – getting under the other team’s skin – but he’s not in the same class as a Nathan MacKinnon or a Sidney Crosby. Those are true No. 1 pivots. Kadri is not.
3. Will Jonathan Huberdeau return to glory?
After Huberdeau’s offensive totals fell through the floor last season – from 85 assists and 115 points in 2021-22 to just 12 goals and 52 points in 2023-24 – it’s tough seeing how he gets back to his peak performance, especially on a Flames squad that is going to have a tough time producing loads of offense this coming season.
Huberdeau’s massive contract ($10.5-million per season, through the 2030-31 campaign) makes him essentially untradeable, and a buyout is similarly preposterous. Unless something miraculous takes place, he’s stuck in Calgary for the foreseeable future, and even if he does perform to a level that makes him the Flames’ most dangerous player, he’s unlikely to get back to a point where he’s among the league leaders in offense.
Related: The NHL’s Five Most Untradeable Contracts
Huberdeau’s peak years were on a Florida Panthers team that had far more depth and skill than these Flames do. He may improve by 10 or 20 points this coming year, but his days of dominance feel like a distant memory. He’s going to be looked to for leadership and professionalism as Calgary resets its roster, but asking more of him seems unfair. He made a gamble by signing long-term with the Flames, and that gamble has left him painted into a corner he can’t get out of.
Related: NHL’s Top Issues Facing the Buffalo Sabres: Ruff’s Return, Thompson’s Resurgence and Goaltending Tandem
Related: The NHL’s Five Most Underappreciated Forwards
Related: NHL’s Top Issues Facing The Boston Bruins: Swayman, the Lindholm and Young Forwards
News Summary:
- NHL’s Top Issues Facing the Calgary Flames: Tanking for the Top Pick, Huberdeau Returning to Glory and Kadri a No. 1 Center?
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.